In its waning days before a June election, with the opposition breathing down its neck, the Ontario government threw down the gauntlet with what is unquestionably a pull out all the stops election budget. The marquee item was announced yesterday after weeks of big announcements: if re-elected, the government would…
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Alberta’s 2018 budget was tabled on March 22, 2018. The official name of this year’s budget is Budget 2018: A recovery built to last. Here are five things to know: This was largely a status quo budget. Total estimated provincial revenue for 2018-19 is $47.9 billion, compared with $46.9 billion in…
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There is an urgency for our government to use fiscal policy to promote a different kind of economic growth that no longer sacrifices the environment, our natural resources, or quality of life for the many. But this is not what the Nova Scotia Budget 2018-19 has done. Ultimately, our fiscal health depends on…
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Alberta is the only Canadian province without a sales tax. That needs to change. With its own sales tax, Alberta could afford to make important new investments in social programs. For example, it could hire more teachers, improve staffing levels in long-term care facilities and build more affordable housing. Without…
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Sixty-two times. That’s how many times the Government of Ontario drew upon the word “care” in a throne speech designed to claim its stake in a pre-election period that has so far seen its share of ups and downs. The Liberals aren’t the only ones focused on improving care. With…
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On March 8, I gave a guest presentation to students in Professor Naomi Lightman’s Sociology of Work class at the University of Calgary. I was joined by Alexander Kulakov and Amit Nade, employment coaches at the Mustard Seed. My PowerPoint slides can be downloaded here. Here are 10 things to know about homelessness…
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In the lead up to the June 7th election in Ontario, the minimum wage continues to be a hot button issue. Both the provincial Liberals and the NDP have committed to increase the minimum wage from $14 this year to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019. But the…
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Ottawa City Councillor Diane Deans recently proposed the creation of a women’s bureau to support greater engagement of women in city politics. When questioned about the initiative Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said it wasn’t necessary, concluding that: “At the end of the day, when I go into the polling station,…
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The new NAFTA, if we ever get that far, will once again include an energy chapter, despite initial objections to the idea in Washington. This is according to Inside US Trade, which quotes unnamed U.S. officials this week suggesting the chapter could be concluded during the 8th round of talks…
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